Classic tres leches cake is INCREDIBLY easy to make at home and you won’t be able to resist this luscious cake that’s soaked in three kinds of milk and topped with fluffy whipped cream.
Another cake scratched off the baking bucket list!! Always a wonderful feeling. Always gives you an excuse to eat lots of cake which is obviously considered a WIN.
Tres leches cake is a simple, yet luxurious cake that is SO worthy of being on any baker’s bucket list. I put it off for way too long and judging from the amount of cake that is currently sitting in my fridge and probably won’t be by the end of this week….it’s one for the cake books.
There’s literally nothing NOT to love about this beautiful cake!! We’ve got airy sponge cake, a mixture of condensed milk + evaporated milk + regular cow’s milk soaking into every cake inch, and fluffy homemade whipped cream crowning the whole thing.
Literally the softest, moistest, most RIDICULOUSLY flavorful cake I’ve had to date, guys.
Tres leches cake business starts with the actual cake. (as you may have guessed) We’re using a simple angel food-cake style batter that relies on whipped egg whites to get its incredible light-as-air texture. NO stress needed if you haven’t attempted a cake like this yet! I go over the recipe in great detail below.
Once the cake is baked and completely cooled, it’s time for the fun part. We’re going to whisk sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and regular 2% milk together. Then it’s time to poke the heck outta our cake. Seriously, go nuts poking the cake all over with a fork. The more holes = the more the cake will soak up all the milk goodness!
The hardest part involved with this cake is definitely letting it sit and soak up the milk. I prefer letting it sit overnight before topping it with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
And the result? A moist as heck cake that shines through all the sweet milk flavors in EVERY luxurious bite. Just LOOK at that ridiculous texture!! ^^
Add this keeper tres leches cake to your baking bucket list, guys! Just DO it.
Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Milk Mixture
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup milk (2% or whole milk)
Whipped Cream
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon for topping
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Separate eggs and place egg whites in a large bowl. Place egg yolks in a large separate bowl. Whisk sugar into egg yolks and beat until mixture is very thick, about 1 minute. Beat in milk and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture.
- Using an electric beater, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks are reached. Very gently fold egg whites into egg yolk batter until just combined.
- Spread batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake cake at 350F 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cake cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Milk Mixture
- In a medium bowl, whisk milks together until smooth. Turn cake out onto tray and peel off parchment paper. Using a fork, prick cooled cake all over top.
- Slowly pour milk mixture over cake, ensuring milk soaks into every inch of the cake. Cover cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight to let the cake soak up all the milk.
Whipped Cream
- In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat whipping cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Spread whipped cream over tres leches cake. Lightly sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Slice cake and enjoy!
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